


For Him

by princeklance



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Everyone in their twenties besides pidge, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Flirty Lance, Fluff, Gay Keith, Idiots in Love, Keith works at a old movie rental place, Lance is a regular customer, M/M, Mutual Pining, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Some angst, They meet and sparks fly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-24 13:16:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16640858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princeklance/pseuds/princeklance
Summary: Keith hates associating with people and he makes sure to let everyone know with thefuck youvibes he gives off. His brother, Shiro, has had enough of Keith’s bitchy attitude towards everything so he forces Keith to get a job that requires him to interact with people—not many people since the place rarely has any customers—but with people nonetheless. There, Keith finds himself trying to be friendly, but constantly failing, to a very good looking guy who is a regular customer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've been making shades of purple out of red and blue.

Galra Rentals was an old shop that had been open for thirty years. Nowadays, there aren't many customers since people prefer watching pirated movies online, end up watching movies on _Netflix_ , or some other media-service provider. However, Galra Rentals still has a few loyal customers, mostly older people, people who couldn't afford to have a fancy tv that supported apps like _Netflix_ , or people who simply enjoyed the process of renting movies. The small shop only had a couple of aisles carrying all types of films from animated movies like _Shrek_ to adult videos. The place was open from ten in the morning to eleven at night, seven days a week, with only four employees and one of those employees was none other than Keith Kogane. 

Keith Kogane was a quiet guy who could care less about other people, except for his brother Shiro, the only family he had left since their mother had died in war and his father dying much earlier than that. He supposed he cared about Adam too, who was Shiro’s husband, but he still hadn’t warmed up to him fully yet. Adam and Shiro had been together for years but married for two, and they were very much in love. Keith wouldn’t say he was jealous because no matter how many people would come into his life, he would never find someone who loved him. Why would they? Keith didn’t bring anything to the table besides maybe being somewhat handsome, but he’d scare anyone away when he’d open his mouth to speak, which was hardly ever. In his twenty-one years of living, or more like just existing, Keith had never once had someone he’d call a friend. Senior high consisted of him getting into fights, talking back to teachers, and having crushes on guys he knew he could never be with. He was a sad lonely boy. 

Since Keith had refused to attend college, he had an online job as game reviewer, where he played various video games and reviewed them for money. The job paid well and he never had to leave the house. After a couple of months of never leaving his room, only for necessary things like eating or showering, his older brother had had enough. 

One day while Keith was in the shower, his brother had gone to his room and hid all of Keith’s game consoles, saying Keith would get them back when he got out and found a real job. Of course Keith argued and complained. The game reviewing was a real job, it provided a decent amount of money that went to paying bills. Why couldn’t he just continue to do something he enjoyed? Keith didn’t see a problem with it and still doesn’t. Adam suggested, which he had no right to do according to Keith, that he should work at Galra Rentals, a small place with few customers. Although Keith very much protested the idea, he was forced to apply, and to his bad luck, he was hired instantly even though he had no experience. 

So this bring us to the now, to Keith standing behind the register, glaring at every person who walks in. If he can get the people to leave without renting anything then he wouldn’t have to interact with them. He even rearranges the films to make it seem like they only offer boring or sexual ones. It scares off people with children which Keith despises the most, not that kids aren't cool or anything, but they are loud and make messes all the time. 

It was around ten thirty on a Friday, half an hour before closing time, he was so ready to leave, when someone walked in. _Just fucking great_ he thought to himself, never lifting his eyes from the motorcycle magazine he had been reading. Whoever it was that had entered knew exactly what they were renting as it took them about six minutes to walk up to the register. 

“Just this one.” He heard the voice say, a male one, as he sighed closing the magazine, setting it aside. 

Keith reached for the blu-ray version of _How to Be a Latin Lover_ and scanned the barcode, never once looking at the man who wished to rent the film. The man had already placed his membership card next to the blu-ray, so Keith didn’t have to ask for it. 

“Monday.” Is all Keith said as he gave the man the blu-ray and his membership card without looking at him. 

“Return by Monday? Got it.” The man said as he grabbed his things. “I like your hair, not everyone can pull off a mullet.” He heard the man say when he didn’t leave the register. 

Keith wasn’t sure if it was meant as a compliment or an insult but faced the owner of the voice nonetheless. The owner of the voice was a tall guy with what looked like soft brownish skin, freckles across his face, and his eyes were bluer than any ocean Keith had ever seen. When he smiled, Keith swore he felt a switch is his chest, that had been off for years, turn on. 

When Keith didn’t reply because he had actually been staring, the guy, who looked to be around Keith’s age, winked, making Keith lose his shit. He had never seen anyone more handsome yet absolutely adorable at the same time, and he had no idea what to do, let alone say, so he just stood there silent. 

“Well, uh...” The beautiful brunet in front of him was starting to feel awkward. “I’ll bring this back by Monday.” He turned around and left the store. 

Keith watched as the door closed behind the most beautiful guy he had ever laid eyes on and took a deep breath. “What the actual fuck?” He said to himself. Had he really just stood there and stared? Why didn’t he say anything? For the first time in a long time, Keith had actually wanted to make conversation with another living, breathing human being, and all he did was just stand there. The guy had actually complimented —maybe insulted, he still wasn’t sure— his hair. He was trying to make conversation and Keith just stared. 

As he continued to panic, he heard the door open once again, and Mr. Beautiful had returned, this time on the phone. Keith couldn’t understand what he was saying because it sounded like he was speaking in spanish and man, if it didn’t sound sexy. 

Keith tried to compose himself. This time he would say something, he was sure of it. 

Mr. Beautiful walked to the register—finished with his phone call— with three animated movies in his hand, placing them on the counter along with his membership card, which Keith noticed wasn’t used often. 

“Monday.” Keith said again.

“Mhm.” Was all Mr. Beautiful said. 

_Now_ Keith thought. Now was his chance to say something—anything. He cleared his throat getting Mr. Beautiful to look at him. “Uhh” Keith gazed into his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes, those types of eyes you could get lost into, cliché but Keith didn’t care. 

“Yeah?” The owner of the blue eyes said with a puzzled expression. 

Keith could feel the heat in his cheeks rise, partially because he was going to speak to an attractive guy, and partially because he had to speak without coming off as rude. “Uhh...a-about earlier...”

“Oh, I was just giving you a compliment but I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable.” The brunet reached for his membership card putting it back in his wallet.

 _So it was a compliment._ Keith didn’t know what to say, the only people who had ever complimented him was his brother and sometimes Adam would too. Should Keith thank him or maybe just smile? Mr. Beautiful was about to leave but looked at Keith one more time, expecting him to say something. Keith panicked, instead of thanking him or smiling, Keith did what Keith does best and glared. 

“Okay, you’re not into dudes, message received.” He sounded hurt as he left the shop.

“Way to go dumbass, now he thinks you’re straight.” Keith let out a long sigh, closing up shop, even if there were still ten minutes until closing. 

Not only did Keith make the pretty brunet believe that he was straight—which was plain ridiculous, considering the fact that Keith was gay as hell—but he felt like he had hurt his feelings too. Then again, it didn’t matter anyways, Keith always scared people away. No one has ever tried to get to know Keith, no one has ever come back after Keith's glare, no one ever considered Keith's feelings, so what makes this one attractive guy different? Nothing, nothing makes him different, he was just like all the other people Keith hated, even if he had made Keith's heart feel things. 

**** 

Keith took the long way home, he needed to cool his head by taking a drive on his motorcycle. 

At home, Adam was waiting for him in the kitchen, like those parents in the movies when their kid comes home past their curfew. Whatever face Keith was making must have worried Adam because as soon as he saw him, Adam stood. “Everything okay?” He asked like if Keith was an injured baby animal. 

“Dandy.” Keith still didn't fully like Adam, although they've known each other for years, he'd never given Adam a chance. Deep down, Keith knew Adam was a good guy, he knew Adam somewhat cared about him, he knew that if he opened up to Adam, he would accept him, but even knowing all that, Keith didn't. He cared about Adam only because he was married to his brother, and if something ever happened to him, Shiro would be devastated. 

“You don't look dandy.” Adam closed the distance between them placing his palm on Keith's forehead. “You don't seem to have a fever.” 

“I'm fine.” Keith grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge chugging it down. 

“Then why are you home so late? It's almost one in the morning and last time I checked you clock out at eleven.” Adam furrowed his brows, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Why does it matter? Last time I checked I can do whatever the fuck I want.” Keith glared.

Adam sighed. “You could at least give us a heads up if you're going to be late so we know you're okay.” 

“We? I don't see Shiro here.” 

“He had a long day at work so I told him I'd wait for you so he could rest. You know how tired he gets.” 

“Yeah.” Keith frowned. 

“Keith, talk to me. What’s bothering you?” Adam placed his hand on Keith’s shoulder, lightly squeezing it. 

Keith was tired and had had enough human interaction for one day, but he didn’t feel like pushing Adam away in that moment, instead he sighed. 

“Come on.” Adam headed toward the table, pulling out a chair to sit on as Keith followed him. “So? Someone bother you at work?”

“Kind of, I’ll tell you but if you laugh I swear I won’t tell you anything ever again.” He furrowed his brow. 

“I promise I won’t.” Adam pressed his hand against his chest for emphasis. 

“This guy came into work thirty minutes before closing and you know, I ignored him like I do to everyone else, but then he says he likes my hair, so of course, I finally looked at him. Adam, he was so goddamn pretty, like you should have seen him, so fucking beautiful. “ He clenched his fists on the table. “So what do I do after he said he liked my hair? I didn’t know what to fucking say. I didn’t know if he meant it as a compliment or an insult. So guess what I said?” He makes eye contact to the man in front of him, listening.

“Did you say ‘thanks’ or did you flirt back?” He smirked.

“Nothing, I said nothing, fucking nothing. This hot dude comes up to me, says I have nice hair, and I just stand there, staring until he leaves.”

“Whoa, well maybe he’ll come back later and you could try to talk to him.”

“The story doesn’t end there. He comes back within five minutes for more movies that his family probably asked him for, anyways, I think to myself that this is my chance, so I try to talk to him. Long story short, he tells me he’s sorry if he made me uncomfortable so I glared at him and now he thinks I’m straight.” Keith sighed running his fingers through his hair. 

Keith could tell that Adam was trying his best to not laugh. “Why did you glare at him?” Adam finally said.

“I don’t know, instinct.” He shrugged.

“Well, he has to return the movies someday, so when he does, flirt with him or casually mention you’re gay, and say that you were just nervous last time.” 

“How do you just casually mention your gay?” 

“When he comes again just say ‘hey sorry about last time, I was just lost in your eyes, you know, because I’m gay’ like that.” Adam smiled playfully. 

“Right, sure.” Keith rolled his eyes.

“Things will work out, Keith, I promise.” Adam stood “Now go to bed young man.” He smiled.

“Okay.” Keith stood heading for the stairs. “Thanks for listening.” He said in a low whisper, but he knew Adam had heard him because he looked surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have so much planned for this!!~  
> I hope y'all enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it :)


	2. Chapter 2

Sunday, two days after the incident, Keith stares at the gentleman who walks in to his rental store, a man he knows too well, a man who has no business being there, a man who Keith had confided in. This man walks up to the register, no movie in hand to rent, wearing a smile, a smile Keith doesn’t like, only because it means this man is up to something. Keith knew it was a bad idea telling this man the contents of the incident two days prior. 

“Hello, Keith.” The man continued to smile, from what Keith could tell, the man wasn’t there to just say hello. 

“What are you doing here, Adam?” 

“Well, today is my day off work, and since the mysterious beautiful man didn’t show up yesterday, during your shift at least, I am here for moral support.” Adam disappeared into the back room, returning with a chair and a bag of chips. “I’m going to be here for your entire shift.” He sat back, crossed his legs, and playfully smiled at his little brother-in-law. 

“Why?” Keith couldn’t deal with this. If Adam was here then Adam would obviously try to make conversation for the whole eight hours he was there. He had never spent that much time alone with him before and didn’t want to start now. Plus, if Mr. Beautiful did show up, he had a feeling Adam would only make things worse. He was at least thankful it wasn’t Shiro who had showed up because Shiro is ten times worse than Adam when it comes to Keith’s love life, if that’s what you’d call this situation. 

“If he shows up, I can help you. I can mention I’m your brother-in-law and then mention your gay or something. Also, you said he was and I quote ‘so goddamn pretty.’ So I want to see what he looks like.” Adam opened the bag of chips, eating them extra loudly. Adam knew the owner of Galra Rentals, so he pretty much did as he pleased in the place knowing there would be no consequences—also the reason Keith got hired so quickly.

“If he does show up, which he won’t, I would very much appreciate it if you said nothing.” Keith figured Mr. Beautiful would send someone else to return the movies or maybe he’d show up when Keith isn't working. As a matter of fact, Keith hoped Mr. Beautiful didn’t come. He didn’t feel like embarrassing himself again. Not that it mattered since Keith knew Mr. Beautiful already hated him after talking to him for a couple of seconds. There was no way he’d return and Keith was fine with it or at least that’s what he kept telling himself.

“Fine, I’ll just watch.” Adam continued to shove the chips into his mouth as he looked around the empty shop from the comforts of his chair. “Is this place always this empty?” 

“Pretty much.” Keith shrugged hoping Adam would avoid all types of small talk. Keith knew Adam was also there to try to get closer to him, to try and bond, to finally break down the wall Keith had built between them. The wall used to be strong with no signs of ever cracking but the tiniest crack had formed when Keith chose to tell Adam about Mr. Beautiful. 

For the first three hours of his shift, Adam had chosen to keep quiet. He just sat in his chair messing around on his phone, he called Shiro for awhile, other than that, he was quiet. Keith had flipped through more motorcycle magazines, sometimes adding a kitchen shopping magazine just to look at the knives, but besides that he was also quiet. A total of four customers had come to rent films in those three hours and each time Keith heard the door, he found himself looking, wondering if it was you know who. 

During hour five, Adam had had enough of the silence. He stood from his chair, butt aching from sitting for so long, and walked to the comedy section of the shop’s films. “Keith, I’m renting a movie for us to watch.” He said, going through the selection. “Any suggestions?”

“A horror movie.” He replied instantly not paying attention to the fact that Adam had wanted to watch a movie together. 

“How about one with horror and comedy? Otherwise I won’t be able to sleep at night even if ‘Kashi is there.” Adam continued to search for movies when the shop’s door opened. 

Keith was about to reply to Adam’s question when he noticed who had walked in with four films in their hand: Mr. Beautiful. He had shown up to return the films he had rented and Keith wasn’t prepared. What would he say? Should he even say anything? 

“I’m here to return these.” Mr. Beautiful set down the films on the counter. 

Keith scanned the films, placing them on the cart of returns.

“Oh, I have one of those punch cards.” He handed Keith the punch card—if all the holes were punched then you’d get a free movie—lightly brushing his fingers against Keith’s. Keith flinched at the sudden contact. Keith couldn’t recall the last time he ever held someone’s hand, he couldn’t remember the last time he ever embraced anyone, but those few seconds where their fingers touched felt oddly satisfying. He hadn’t realized just how much he craved the warmth of another person’s touch. Of course, Mr. Beautiful had done that on accident, right? There was no way he would continue to flirt with Keith after what happened last time.

Keith took the card, punching four holes in it. 

Adam, who was watching from behind, gave Keith a knowing look and mouthed something along the lines of _say something._

Keith cleared his throat extra loud for emphasis, making Mr. Beautiful look at him. 

“Uhh...your eyes...I'm gay.” Keith gave him his punch card back as he slowly died on the inside. 

Mr. Beautiful looked at him trying to process what it was Keith had said. Panicking, Keith did the usual, and glared, trying to hide his embarrassment. The brunet winked at Keith, gathered his things, and left. 

As soon as the coast was clear, he let out a deep breath, burying his face in his hands. “What the fuck.” He mumbled.

“Well, that’s a nice way to summarize what I told you to say.”Adam walked to the counter, holding his stomach for he was a laughing mess. 

“Fuck off, this is all your fault!” Keith pointed at him dramatically causing Adam to laugh even more. 

“How is this possibly my fault?” 

“You gave me that look!” Keith imitated the look Adam had made.

“Well, you weren’t saying anything! At least now he knows you’re gay.”

“How’d you even know it was him?” 

“Your eyes lit up the minute he walked in.” 

“They did not.” Keith crossed his arms over his chest. Of course his eyes lit up, that guy was so goddamn pretty. Keith wouldn’t say, but he was somewhat happy Mr. Beautiful had come back—he did only come back to return the movies—he had still returned even after Keith’s glare which meant something—to Keith at least. If he continued to come back then maybe, just maybe, Keith could actually converse with him, get to know him, learn his name, maybe Keith could be friendly, maybe even flirt a little. Keith had already embarrassed himself in front of the brunet twice so it couldn’t get any worse, or could it? 

“They did. Now we just need to fix that glare of yours. So you glare at people so they avoid you, correct?” 

Keith nodded.

“And sometimes you glare to hide your embarrassment, like instead of blushing, correct?” Adam had taken his seat once again. 

Keith nodded again. He didn’t know when exactly his glare had meant two different things but after doing it for so long he almost did it as a reflex. Keith Kogane really hates people to the point that glaring had become second nature to him. 

“How about instead of glaring whenever he’s around, you try to smile?” 

“Like this?” Keith curved his lips in an attempt to smile. It wasn’t a natural smile, or even a pretty smile—no matter how handsome Keith was—his smile could be compared to that smile the grinch gives when he decides to ruin Christmas. 

Adam couldn’t help but laugh, something he’d been doing a lot lately. 

“I hate you.” Keith scowled. 

“I know you do.” Adam wiped his tears, smiling. 

Keith relaxed his shoulders. “I didn’t mean it literally.” 

“I know, Keith.” Adam said giving Keith a warm smile. 

 

 

During Keith’s last hours of work, they remained quiet, a comfortable silence, only speaking when necessary. Keith liked that Adam wasn’t forcing conversation, he liked how Adam was there. He hated to admit it but Adam being there after another unfortunate incident was comforting. He didn’t quite know how to explain it but just having Adam there was pleasant. Keith never noticed before but Adam had a calming presence, a presence that made you feel safe, a presence that felt like home, just don’t tell Adam he thought that. 

Even during his lunch break, which was more like dinner, they enjoyed the silence. Adam had made Keith food which he very much enjoyed.

Keith felt another crack form on the wall he was trying so hard to keep up between he and Adam. But maybe letting Adam in wouldn’t be so bad, but that was for another time, Keith wasn’t ready yet, maybe he’ll never be ready to accept another person into his bubble. 

He closed up shop after making Adam clean the mess he had made with the chips like a child.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Beautiful revealed lol

Galra Rentals was an old shop that had been open for thirty years. The place was small with very few customers. Most of their loyal customers were old people, people who couldn't afford media providing platforms, and people who genuinely liked to rent movies. One of those people was none other than Lance McClain. Lance had been visiting Galra Rentals every Friday since he was ten years old. His older brother, Luis, made it a tradition, one that he enjoyed. When Lance was eighteen, his brother got married and moved away. He’d still come home for visits, for holidays, and sometimes for a weekend but it wasn’t the same. Lance has three other siblings he very much loves and was close with but Luis was the one who made Friday their day to hang out, Luis was the one who showed Lance the most affection, he was the one who helped him study, he helped Lance come out as a bisexual, he was just always there for Lance. Every Friday after Luis left, Lance still continued the tradition, sometimes he’d go with his other siblings. He continued to rent movies even if he had no time to watch them since he was always busy with college, working at the local thrift shop, and having a social life. 

Lance was attending college on a scholarship. No matter what other people would say about him, he was very smart and a hard worker. He was confident in his learning skills. He was also a dreamer. He dreamed of one day being in space, discovering the unknown, of exploring. He was always astonished with space and he was going to be there one day, no matter how long it took, he would be there. 

As mentioned earlier, Lance was a bisexual and not afraid to let the world know. He’d flirt with men and women in public not caring who saw. He wanted to find love, a love so pure and sweet, a love that made his heart flutter, a love that made everyday beautiful simply by the thought of being in love. He dreamed of having a fairytale type of love but he knew that wasn’t realistic considering his previous relationships. Lance was only twenty-one, he knew he still had all the time in the world to find the right person, but he couldn’t help but be impatient. Lance was the very definition of tall, dark, and handsome and he made sure to take advantage of it.

 

Now back to Galra Rentals, Lance was a regular customer so yes, he did take notice of the new employee. The new guy was shorter than him, which was a plus, he had such beautiful eyes, eyes like he’d never seen before, Lance swore they were violet. His skin looked so soft though it seemed like the boy didn’t moisturize, his hair was dark, long in the back and short in the front, a mullet if you must, but the boy knew how to work it. When Lance first saw him, he was so mesmerized with the newbie’s beauty that he didn’t even rent anything that Friday. He spent around thirty minutes in the back trying to check out the hottie behind the register, trying to make eye contact and approach him, but the newbie never lifted his gaze from the magazine he had been reading. Lance did notice that the newbie hardly ever looked anyone in the eyes but when he did, he would glare. Lance kind of liked it. He decided not to make a move that day, he would need time to come up with some good pick up lines if he was to swoon the guy so he left empty handed. 

During his second visit, Lance had chosen to rent _How to Be a Latin Lover,_ thinking the newbie would notice Lance’s flirting.

“I like your hair, not everyone can pull off a mullet.” He smirked. That was the best line he had come up with after a week of brainstorming. Unfortunately, the line didn’t have any effect on the newbie as he only glared. The glare was actually hot, the way his eyes burned through Lance’s skin, the way his shoulders tensed, the way the newbie’s bangs slightly covered his thick eyebrows. Lance wanted to move his bangs out of the way and gently kiss the crinkles between his eyebrows. Lance was so lost in his wild world of imagination that he was starting to get awkward with the amount of silence and decided to leave.

Lance had never been so attracted to someone’s glare. The newbie gave off bad boy vibes and Lance was definitely into it. 

On his way home, Lance’s mom had called him. She wanted him to rent some animated movies because they were having visitors. He wasn’t prepared to face the hottie again, he needed more time to plan, to think, guess he would wing it.

His mother knew how to speak English but Lance had chosen to speak Spanish when he was in the shop on the phone with her, maybe the hottie would find it attractive or just cool. 

When he went to the register with the new movies, Lance was trying so hard to be nonchalant. He decided to keep quiet. He was surprised when the newbie spoke, saying more than just one word this time, his voice being low and rough, making Lance lose his shit. 

“Umm..about earlier.” The hottie behind the register said sounding a little nervous. 

“Oh, I was just giving you a compliment but I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable.” He said in a calm tone. Lance was a gentleman, he didn’t want to make the beauty feel uncomfortable, no matter how big of a flirt he was. For all Lance knew, the dude could be straight. Apparently, it did make the beauty uncomfortable because the glare he received was more intense than the previous one. It didn't give off the same hotness vibes the other one did. Lance couldn't really decipher what this glare meant so he just figured it was a genuine glare.

“Okay, you’re not into dudes, message received.” He tried his best not to sound hurt when he left. Had he already lost his chance with the beautiful newbie? Was Lance unlikeable? Lance only flirted a little but was that enough to be hated? 

****

The next day, Lance sat in the library with his best friends Hunk, Pidge, and Allura. He told them the whole story wanting their input. 

He and Hunk had been friends since junior high. Hunk was literally the bestest friend anyone could ask for. He’s supportive, sweet, funny, a great cook, and he gave the best hugs. Just don’t make him angry because that is not a pretty picture, something Lance learned the hard way. 

Lance had met Pidge in an after school tutoring program when they were in senior high. Pidge and Lance worked together to help some elementary kids in math and pretty much hit it off from the start. Pidge was three years younger than him, and very much shorter, but they were both third years in college. 

Allura was Lance’s first crush when he was in the third grade. He’d draw cute flowers on her notebook, always let her cut in front of him in line, and gave her grapes during lunch, they were her favorite. Allura was nice and said she wasn’t interested in relationships at such a young age. Lance wasn’t either, he just liked her. When he was fifteen, Lance’s crush disappeared because Allura had introduced him to her girlfriend. They became better friends since they were both part of the LGBT community.

Back to the Library, they were studying for an upcoming physics exam, a subject they all loved. 

“I think you should just let him go, it obvious he didn't like you.” Pidge assessed the story. She closed her notebook showing Lance she was listening. 

“Now Pidge,” Hunk said “Lance said this dude likes to glare at everyone so maybe he just doesn't like people or he doesn't know how to deal with them. What if he's just not used to flirting?” 

“I agree with Hunk.” Allura closed her textbook. “Maybe he’s just shy.”

“Or he could be straight. Maybe he’s a homophobe.” Pidge rested her chin on her hand. 

“But I like him.” Lance sunk into his chair.

“You don’t even know anything about him.” Pidge stared at Lance. She was known for being the pessimistic of the group but she was almost always right.

“But he’s so beautiful.” Lance put on his hood to avoid eye contact.

“Pidge, come on,” Allura placed her hand on Pidge’s shoulder. “Just let Lance have this. Maybe he’s straight or maybe he’s not good with people. I think Lance should try to talk to him again and find out.” She smiled.

“I agree.” Hunk nodded. “Maybe this guy also thought Lance was attractive and just panicked. People hide their embarrassment in different ways.”

“If that's the case, if you really want to woo him then take things slow, like extremely slow, get him used to you first, be his friend.” Pidge sighed pointing at Lance with her pen, grinning. “Which we all know will take a while because you're a handful.” 

“I am not!” He said in a loud whisper, they were in the library after all. 

“Just try talking to him, give him time, you don't know what kind of baggage he carries.” Hunk added, lowering Pidge’s pen. 

“Right, I just have to use my charm,” He sat up, removed his hood, flipped his hair, winking, causing Pidge to roll her eyes “and go at his pace.” 

His friends nodded. 

“Now since we’re done talking about your love life, can we go back to this study guide?” Pidge opened her notebook to where they had left off. The material was pretty simple, they didn’t need to study too much but they all enjoyed it anyways.

“Of course.” Lance smiled opening his textbook. 

 

**** 

When Sunday arrived, Lance would return the movies, determined to at least learn the newbie’s name. He didn’t want to keep calling him newbie. Well, that was his plan until he noticed they weren’t alone in the shop. There was another guy, also good looking, at the comedy section of the shop. Lance figured that the pretty newbie wouldn't say his name if other people were present so he left it for another time. This time, he would just return the movies, but not with at least doing something. When Lance gave the newbie his punch card, he let his fingers lightly brush against the newbie’s. His fingers were soft, so soft that Lance wished to hold them, massage them, kiss them. He saw the boy flinch in surprise, it had to be because he was surprised. 

Lance was ready to leave but then the newbie did something unexpected, he cleared his throat to speak. 

“Uhhh...your eyes...I'm gay.” 

_Excuse me?_ Lance tried to process what had just happened. Was that a compliment? Was he complimenting Lance’s eyes? Who cares. The beauty was gay. He was gay. Gay. He likes other men. There was a chance he could come to like Lance. 

All of a sudden, Lance was overcome with confidence. He winked at the gorgeous newbie and left. 

That went well, super well, amazingly well. Lance couldn’t help but smile all the way home. He had a chance with the hot new guy. He hadn’t been rejected, maybe Hunk was right, maybe this guy just wasn’t good at dealing with people. Lance would wait, he still didn’t know anything about the newbie, but Lance would wait because he wanted to know him, find out what his likes are, why he glares at people, Lance would take things slow. 

 

**** 

Lance unpacked boxes that were filled with all types of clothes from stained tank tops, shorts with holes on the back, dress shirts, anime t-shirts to flower printed blouses. Working at a thrift store was quite an experience. Tuesdays were usually quiet, but busy. Tuesdays were the days when they’d get new donations meaning lots of unpacking, rearranging, and cleaning the dirt off shoes to make them look presentable. 

He only had one hour left to his shift. Just one more hour before he’d get a chance to visit his favorite movie rental place. Usually, Lance would only go on Fridays but he couldn’t wait three more days. He wanted to see, to talk to the beauty who worked there. He was determined to learn his name. He didn’t know the newbie’s schedule but he did know that he worked nights. Lance’s shift ended at seven so there was a good chance he’d see the newbie. 

The last hour was dreadful. He swore time passed by extra slow on purpose. 

He clocked out, fixed his hair quickly in the bathroom, applied lotion to his hands, chewed on a mint, and made his way to Galra Rentals. The place was only a fifteen minute walk from his work. Lance didn’t have a car. The good thing is that he lived close enough to his work and the rental place to walk. Hunk, being the best guy ever, took Lance to his classes, they had the same classes so he didn’t feel too bad. 

Upon entering Galra Rentals, Lance immediately checked to see if the place was empty, which it was. To make things better, there behind the register stood the gorgeous guy with violet eyes, doesn’t matter what anyone says, to Lance they were violet. 

He walked around making it seem like he was browsing films. He wasn’t going to rent anything, he was there to talk to the newbie. He grabbed two films off the shelf, not paying attention to which shelf he had pulled them off of, and headed to the register to make conversation. He set them on the table and said. “I don’t know which to rent. Which do you think is better?” 

The beauty behind the register closed the magazine he was reading, picking up the two films Lance had placed on the counter, met Lance’s eyes and glared. It wasn’t the hateful glare but the one Lance was attracted to. 

After a couple seconds of silence, of awkward eye contact, the newbie finally spoke. “I...don’t watch adult videos.” He placed the films in front of Lance.

“Adult videos?” Lance asked in confusion. What did that have to do with anything? Lance looked down to where the films were and realized they were, in fact, adult videos. Lance was so eager to have a conversation with the newbie, he was so distracted, that of course, of all the shelves in the shop he had to pick them from the porno section.

He turned around, burying his face in his hands. What was he supposed to do now? Why did the universe hate him?

“Are you going to rent either?” The newbie said with his rough, low voice. Lance could listen to him speak for hours. He also said it quietly like if he was also embarrassed which made Lance’s face redden. 

“No.” Lance turned back to face the newbie who went back into glare mode when their eyes met. “I don’t watch porn, I mean I’ve watched porn before but it’s not like a hobby, like who hasn’t seen porn? I bet you have too, well gay porn right?” _Oh god_. What was he saying? Lance always rambled when he was nervous and boy was he just about to explode of embarrassment. “I’ve seen gay porn too, you know, I’m bi. So no worries, but no, I didn’t mean to grab these dvds. I just..” He took in a deep breath. “Nevermind.” He grabbed the films and returned them to their rightful place.

At least Lance got to see a new expression on the beauty’s face. Instead of glaring, the guy looked confused, lost, like if Lance was speaking in a foreign language. He couldn’t believe he’d said all those things. How on earth was he going to make conversation after that? He didn’t know but he was going to try. 

Lance sighed, running his fingers through his hair, going back to the register. In front of the register was the typical candy aisle. Lance stopped in front of the candy and looked over at the newbie who had been looking at Lance with a blank expression. “What’s your favorite candy?” Lance said trying to sound calm as if the whole adult video incident never happened. 

The pretty man with a mullet took a couple seconds to answer. “Green apple ring pop.” He said still with the blank expression, at least it wasn’t his usual glare. 

Lance grabbed two green apple ring pops, three strawberry laffy taffy sticks, a pack of gum, and took them to the register. 

The beauty rang up the items. “Do you want a bag?” 

“Nah, that’s what pockets are for.” He shoved his candy and gum in his pockets leaving the two ring pops out. He opened one and stuck it in his mouth. He opened the second one. “Give me your hand.” He said to the beautiful guy in front of him. The newbie looked at Lance like he was crazy but held out his hand after a couple seconds of glaring. Lance took the ring pop and gently slipped it on the newbie’s index finger. “For you.” He said with his mouth semi open for he still had his own ring pop in his mouth. 

The newbie looked down at the ring pop and back at Lance. He didn’t say anything nor did he lick the candy but just looked at Lance. He didn’t have to say anything because the look in his eyes was more than enough for Lance. The newbie’s eyes were just so freaking pretty. _Newbie_ Lance sighed. He was tired of calling him that. 

__

__

Lance removed the candy from his mouth, placing it on his thumb, and smiled. “My name is Lance. I’ve been coming here for a long time. If it’s alright with you, could I get your name?” He continued to smile. He hoped he didn’t look creepy or looked like he was trying too hard. 

The newbie looked down at his index finger, head tilted down so Lance couldn’t see his face, and quietly muttered out “Keith.” 

Lance almost jumped with joy. He had finally learned his name. Keith. His name was Keith. Keith with the beautiful violet eyes. Keith with the weirdest yet cute hairstyle. Keith with the glare that made Lance shiver. Keith who was slightly shorter than him which was so adorable. Keith. 

“Sweet, now I know your name.” He smiled. “I know I’ve only seen you for a total of two times but I come here like every week so you’ll be seeing a lot of me. I thought it’d be nice to introduce myself.” Lance stretched out his hand hoping for a handshake. 

“Oh.” Was all Keith said as he hesitantly took Lance’s hand. Lance slightly squeezed his hand as he shook it, keeping their hands connected longer than a normal handshake. Keith didn’t show any signs of letting go so Lance kept their hands connected.

“Just to let you know I do not rent porn.” He said as he let go of Keith’s hand. 

Keith only nodded.

“I like to stop by on Friday nights or just nights in general since today isn’t Friday. Um, do you usually work nights or like alternate?” 

Lance realized Keith always took time to respond like he was thinking whether or not to reply. He didn’t mind how long it took Keith to reply. He enjoyed hearing his voice and watching his expressions change as he probably thought about things. Keith was too cute. 

“I close everyday.” He finally said.

“Nice, I’ll make sure to come by when you’re around.” He winked.

Keith seemed unaffected by Lance’s flirting. It didn’t matter, one day Lance would see Keith’s smile, his blush, one day he’d hear Keith laugh, one day Keith would be comfortable enough to flirt back, and Lance looked forward to that day.

Keith still hadn’t touched his ring pop. He kept it on his finger. Maybe he was waiting for Lance to leave so he could enjoy it. 

“Well, Keith, I better head on out. I’ll see you on Friday.” Lance smiled putting his ring pop back in his mouth. 

“Bye.” Keith said as Lance left the shop.

Lance walked home, the sun almost setting, he was more than happy. Keith was such a cute guy but also incredibly hot at the same time. He couldn’t imagine how beautiful his smile would be. How his laugh would sound like. He had learned three things about Keith that day. One: his name was Keith. Two: his favorite candy was green apple ring pops. Three: Keith worked until the shop closed. 

Lance couldn’t wait till Friday and possibly learn more.


End file.
